Roast chicken with garlic, sherry and almond

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180ºC fan/gas 6. Rub the chicken with 1 tbsp of the oil, pushing some of the oil between the flesh and skin (take care not to tear the skin). Season generously, both inside and out, with salt and pepper, then put 2 garlic cloves and a bay leaf in the cavity (tie the legs with twine if you wish).
2. Put the chicken breast-side up in a large deep casserole (one that has a tight fitting lid), then roast uncovered for 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, fry the remaining garlic cloves in a medium frying pan over a medium heat in the rest of the olive oil for 5 minutes until just golden, then put on a plate, leaving the oil in the pan.
4. Fry the almonds and bread in the same pan for about 3 minutes until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, put in a food processor and whizz with the parsley to a coarse crumb, then set aside. (You could chop the almonds/parsley by hand and crumble the bread.)
5. After the chicken has been cooking for 40 minutes add the fried garlic to it along with the sherry, stock/water and remaining bay leaf. Cover tightly and return to the oven for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. You can reduce the juices over a high heat if you like, but I don’t tend to bother.
6. Let the chicken rest in the pot for at least 10 minutes or so before removing it.
7. Transfer the chicken to a platter, spoon over the pan juices and add a generous sprinkling of almond crumb. Serve with the garlic cloves, squeezing out the flesh and discarding the skins.